Monday was Labor Day but you would never know it at the Dem. National Convention. The party faithful were hard at work for the Obama/Biden ticket. The Black and Hispanic caucus's held their meetings. The party faithful are excited and very friendly. People randomly came up to me and asked me if I was a delegate. When I told them I am a journalism from KSU with students here, they love it! A lot of the delegates are excited about our class projects. One suggestion: when you go to a convention, bring comfortable shoes! And in Charlotte, prepare for high humidity.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Our second day here in Charlotte has been as eventful as the first. We began our morning by eating a delicious breakfast at a small local place here in Charlotte. We then departed to downtown in order to attend the caucus meetings. Me and my classmate Max Harris went to the Ethnic Committee where a variety of people spoke. There were two members of Congress that spoke and I even got to shake Congressman Mike Honda’s hand so you could say that it was a tremendously rewarding experience. The meeting focused on how to grow the ethnic vote and make sure that the Democratic Party is reaching to its key constituencies. Although we know that the majority of minorities (ethnic) tend to vote Democratic, the party as a whole must win these demographics by bigger margins in order to win elections. After the meeting I got to finally interview my first delegate and made him fill out the appropriate questionnaire that I had for him. Whenever I finished speaking to the delegate I ended up heading to another event. A couple of us headed to the Youth Council where we heard from various speakers that spoke about how important the youth vote was. They encouraged us to register more voters and bring them out to the polls so the party can carry the White House in November. After that event we made our way to a Georgia Delegation Party where we got to meet many other delegates. The highlight of the night was definitely when we met Joseph Lowery, an impeccable civil rights leader, we could not have asked for anything better. I personally made my way around the room and began to meet a number of delegates. I specifically did this because tomorrow is when we will really begin our focus on the delegate experience since the convention begins tomorrow. We also had a journalist from the Marietta Daily Journal come up to us and photograph us. He said this story might make it to the paper, let’s hope it does. After all the formal festivities finally ended up we made our way onto Crave which is a local restaurant. The Democratic Party was having an event for the youth to come out and meet each other. Needless to say it was another pleasant experience and I’m glad we got be a part of it. The second day of our trip in Charlotte has been nothing short of success. I’m looking forward to the next couple of days and the official beginning to the convention.
Dr. DeWitt and Dr. Azriel with Civil Rights Leaders Dr. Joseph Lowery and Evelyn Gibson Lowery
From this evening's event, sponsored by the Georgia Democratic Party, at the Charlotte City Club.
Day two at the DNC
Great day!!! It was extremely hot but overall I enjoyed myself. My roommate Gillian and I got the opportunity to hear reverend Jesse Jackson speak at the Congressional black caucus today; what an amazing experience! Never in a million years did I every think that I would get a chance to do so. After the caucus, we ventured out to get a few surveys completed; I considered this a success, given that I managed to get ten delegates to participate. Afterwards we got the chance to participate in a a media and politics discussion hosted by the Bloomberg network. By the time that was over the entire group was exhausted! Yet we managed to find some energy somewhere and get ready for the black tie event hosted by the Georgia Democratic Party. This was probably the highlight of our trip so far; we got the chance to meet civil right activist Joseph Lowery and his wife! And take pictures with them. We then made a brief trip to the youth reception hosted by the DNC then returned to our room. I am personally exhausted but still exited for what is to come... What a great day! Despite the rain and the heat I had a great time ;) 
Our first day as conventioneers was an exciting day
and an occasion I will not forget for the rest of my life. We left Kennesaw
pretty early only to engage in good conversation in the van. The van that
transported us to Charlotte was neat and large enough to fit all of us with
much room to spare. It was a hot day but once we got to Charlotte we knew it
was time for business thus we began to get ready to go to the Nascar Hall of
fame. You’re probably wondering why we chose to go into a place that cherishes
Nascar but you can ask that question to the Democratic National Party. Once we
got there the Georgia delegation was quite welcoming and very thoughtful. They
were ready for us with passes to get into private events and were quite content
to answer any of the questions we had. I must give a special shoutout to Ms.
Angela (she is the Chief of Staff) and also to Chairman Mike Berlon who has
been an incredible helper including prior to the convention. Once we got there
we got in touch with some Nascar history and also met many delegates as well as
staff of the Democratic Party. We were treated to a surprise because the
Chairwoman of the National Democratic Party (Debbie Wasserman Schultz) gave as
astounding speech regarding the state of the election and what Democrats must
do to move forward. We also had the privilege to hear from Congressman James Clyburn
and the Chairman of the Democratic Convention Antonio Villaraigosa. After the
welcoming event at the hall of fame we moved onto a private event held at a
local hotel where the Chairwoman would be speaking. It was once more a
phenomenal speech in which she detailed how the Democratic Party can and must
win the upcoming election. Although it was only our first day in Charlotte it
was jam packed and we met many influential people. Let’s only hope that the
rest of the convention will hold the same standard of professionalism and jovial
spirit that tonight held.
Today was an excellent day! Our groups left KSU
slightly past 10AM. The trip to Charlotte was full of great conversations and
expressions of anticipation regarding the next several days. We arrived at our hotel
at around 3:30PM. After settling in our rooms, approximately an hour later we
were notified that we were attending an event at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. We
drove to downtown Charlotte and did not walk far from where we parked to the Hall
of Fame. Furthermore, the Charlotte skyline is very nice.
Exploring
the NASCAR Hall of Fame was a memorable experience. The entire development of
NASCAR from its first years to the present day was very well documented and
exhibited. There was an opportunity to try and replicate a pit stop (lifting
the car on a jack, changing a tire, and refueling). I tried it and my respect
for the pit crew grew even more. My fellow classmates and I spoke with a
delegate from Tennessee who was very excited to see young people being involved
in the political process. Later, everyone was called to congregate in the main
lobby for a series of speeches. Among the speakers were the Mayor of Charlotte
Anthony Fox and the Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman
Schultz.
At
the conclusion of the speeches we explored the Hall of Fame for a little longer
and then headed out to a delegate reception from which we left at around
10:30PM; this was a great opportunity to interact with several high level
political figures. Present at this event were the Consulate Generals of Japan
and Great Britain and various Georgia senators, among others; the Chairman of
the Georgia Democratic Party Mike Berlon was also there.
The
first day has been very eventful (and the convention has not even started yet).
I am excited to see what happens tomorrow.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Pre-Democratic Convention Events
Dr. Jeff DeWitt, the students, and I arrived in Charlotte on Sunday shortly after 3 pm. We hit the ground running. After a couple of phone calls from the GA Dem. Party Chief of Staff Angelia Knight, we were on our way to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the Southern States Reception. Our political science and communication students started networking and met many delegates. The mayor of LA, Antonio Villaraigrosa, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Cong. James Clyburn from South Carolina and other party leaders were at the event. About 3 hours later, we were off to another party sponsored by a handful of states including Georgia, Wyoming, and New Jersey. Our students continued meeting delegates and others including the British and Japanese Consul Generals. What is amazing to me is how appreciative ALL of the students are for being in Charlotte and the journalism and professional networking opportunities they are getting! I can't wait to see what Monday brings. Happy Labor Day!
KSU IN CHARLOTTE!!
The KSU Owls have officially arrived in Charlotte. I am so exited for everything to begin!! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I am extremely greatfull to all who worked so hard to make this happen for us!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Charlotte Prepares for the Democratic National Convention -- PICTURES
Charlotte Prepares for the Democratic National Convention -- PICTURES
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Updated: September 1, 2012 | 4:30 p.m.
August 31, 2012 | 3:16 p.m.
Preparations for this year's Democratic National Convention have been set in motion as the national political eye moves from Tampa to Charlotte. Check out pictures below of how things are progressing so far, and a sneak peek of convention facilities before events begin in earnest on Tuesday.
For more, please link to http://www.nationaljournal.com/pictures-video/charlotte-prepares-for-the-democratic-national-convention-pictures-20120831?mrefid=skybox
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